First record of seagrass in Cape Verde, eastern Atlantic

Abstract

Background: The Cape Verde archipelago consists of 10 volcanic islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean located 570 km off the coast of Western Africa. While the shallow benthic communities have been studied in some detail no seagrasses have been previously reported for the Republic of Cape Verde. Results: The seagrass Halodule wrightii Ascherson was found and described at one location at Praia, Santiago Island. There it formed a number of patches (≈10) covering a total of ≈ 20 m2 at 1.4-1.6 m depth on fine sand soft bottoms. Some population characteristics are also reported. Two other sites with seagrass are also reported for the first time. Conclusion: The current record fills a knowledge gap regarding the distribution of seagrasses in the Tropical North Atlantic and it is expected that seagrasses will be found at other suitable sites within the archipelago.